ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils fall to Cal in straight sets

After getting off to a slow start, ASU volleyball couldn’t sustain enough runs to mount a comeback as they dropped their fourth-straight match against Cal.

In a match where one team would come away with their first conference victory of the year, the Sun Devils fell on the short end of stick, losing in straight sets to the California Golden Bears on Friday night.

Going into the match, it seemed as if the Sun Devils would be able to have a rebound game on offense, as the Bears were ranked last in the conference in both blocks per set (1.58) and opponent hitting percentage (.210).

However, after tallying inaccurate passes, missed serves and attacking errors, the Sun Devils allowed the Bears to take significant leads in each set and failed to establish a way to shell out of their own mistakes.

In the first set, the Sun Devils found themselves in an early hole, as two of their own errors and a kill by Cal’s Christine Alftin gave the Bears an early 3-0 lead.

After playing even for the next few points in the set, Cal exploded for a 7-0 scoring run, mounted by the strategic serving of Emma Smith and driven by the reins of the left-handed attack of outside hitter Antzela Dempi.

More from Devils in Detail

Despite facing a 9-point deficit, the Sun Devils seemed to find a groove at the midway point of the set. Oluoma Okaro moved from the outside to the opposite end of the floor, where she recorded three kills in the span of four points to cut the lead to 22-18.

However, the service issues that the Sun Devils momentarily swept under the rug crept back up their sleeves late in the set. Nicole Peterson missed a crucial serve, and the Bears were able to find the attack of Christine Alftin to take the first set 25-19.

As set two began, it seemed as if the Sun Devils had gotten past their early struggles. Hughes, Okaro and Jeremic were active in the early going, tallying four kills as a trio as ASU took an early 6-5 advantage.

Nevertheless, the Bears soon fought back, playing off of Emma Smith’s serve to keep the set even at 12 at the midway point. It appeared as if grit and determination would win a tight set down the stretch.

Right on cue, the Bears opened up a 5-1 run, and the Sun Devils were once again hitting out of bounds and failing to pass the bullet serves that Cal would send over the net.

Much like the first set, the Sun Devils made another comeback effort, clawing back within 21-20 and forcing Cal to take a late timeout. However, the Bears were able to respond, as two late blocks by Antzela Dempi secured a 4-0 run to close a 25-20 set victory for Cal.

In set three, the Sun Devils threw in some new options, as Shelbie Dobmeier and Megan Beedie entered the game looking to provide some spring to a Sun Devil attack that had been held to a .176 hitting percentage in set two.

For a while, the change seemed to work. Dobmeier was able to move around the court a little better than Nicole Peterson, and quickly recorded five assists as the Sun Devils took an 11-10 lead in a match that had already seemed to be wrapped up.

Shortly enough, false hope eclipsed ASU once again. Cal ballooned their lead with a 10-3 run, as the power of Antzela Dempi’s jump serve proved serve a heavy sample size of why she’s second in the conference in service aces per set.

By then, all hope had been lost, and the Bears were able to close the set and match with a 25-19 victory in set three.

Takeaways From the Match

Despite showing flashes of accurate ball control against Washington, the Sun Devils have since failed to do so. Against a Cal team that has struggled with the block, a lack of offensive unity led to eight total blocks from the Bears on Friday night.

Going forward, the Sun Devils will need to focus and stabilize what they can control, with a huge part of this effort being in the serve game. Even though the Sun Devils don’t have the ability to ace many of their opponents, ten service errors is too many in a match where many of the sets were up for grabs.

Due to the frequency of these mistakes, the Sun Devils were unable to deliver the attack that’s pivotal to their success. Outside of Okaro’s 16 kills, the Devils were only able to produce 20 kills as a team.

Something needs to change, and that all starts with the ability to consistently pass.

Next: ASU Football: Two keys to limiting Bryce Love and the rushing attack

The Sun Devils will look to rebound as they return home to take on No. 13 UCLA next Friday at 8 p.m. PST on Pac-12 Arizona.